#CyberFLASH: 2 Canadian companies approached by China after NRC cyberattack

Two Canadian companies were approached by Chinese businesses shortly after the National Research Council’s computers were hacked this summer, leaving them wondering whether the approach and the attack were linked.

Documents released under the Access to Information Act and obtained by CBC News offer insight into the consequences for private sector interests when a government institution they work with is breached.

The two companies were among those notified by the NRC in the days after the cyberattack that their data had been hacked. Both were subsequently approached by Chinese companies about their businesses.

The federal government blamed the attack on a Chinese state-sponsored actor.

One Canadian businessman wrote an email to the NRC saying, “It’s somewhat ironic, that Canada’s premier R&D organization, the NRC, although cutting edge with many new technologies, doesn’t seem to have equivalent cutting-edge protection of its computer networks setup.”